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Caribbean: Hurricane Fiona Flash Update No. 1 As of 20 September 2022

Países
Puerto Rico (Estados Unidos de América)
+ 3
Fuentes
OCHA
Fecha de publicación

KEY MESSAGES

• Fiona is a category 3 hurricane on the SaffirSimpson scale with maximum sustained winds near 185 km/h.

• At 14:00 EDT on 20 September, hurricane force conditions were present over portions of the Turks and Caicos Islands and tropical storm conditions were occurring over portions of the southeastern Bahamas.

• Hurricane Fiona is expected to strengthen further in the next days as it approaches Bermuda.

• Continued heavy rainfall may produce significant and life-threatening flooding and mudslides for the next couple days in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic as the system moves north.

• As of 20 September 2022, national authorities of affected states have not issued a request of international assistance.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Between 16 September to 18 September, Fiona crossed the Eastern Caribbean with Tropical Storm force causing minor damage except for in Guadeloupe where it caused the death of one person and left considerable damage to infrastructure. As the system approached Puerto Rico and the eastern coast of the Dominican Republic, Fiona gained Hurricane Force and damaged infrastructure, power outages and road blockages due to debris. Sustained heavy rainfall produced significant and life-threatening flooding.

In Puerto Rico, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), heavy rainfall of as much as 25 inches, caused life-threatening mud and landslides while Fiona´s rain bands continue to cause urban and rural flooding as the system moves north. According to international media outlets, at the heigh of the impact of Fiona, the entire island of Puerto Rico was left without power, leaving over 3 M people without access to electricity.

In Dominican Republic, national authorities confirm some 13,000 people were moved to secured areas (moved to neighbors, friends or families) while over 1,500 people are currently in 49 emergency shelters. Close to 1.17 million people are currently experiencing water supply issues related to impact to water systems while power outages are affecting over 400,000 people

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.